The Chatham-Kent board of health threw its support behind a resolution to lobby for the expansion of publicly funded dental care to include low-income adults and seniors.

Last year, the Healthy Smiles Ontario program was expanded to help all children in low-income families, regardless of any parental employee coverage.

However, this didn't cover working poor adults or seniors, the health unit stated in a report to the board on Wednesday.

The group is often ineligible for coverage under Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program, and are without employer-sponsored benefits.

“Oral health impacts your whole health,” said Teresa Bendo, director of public health. “We have a significant population in Chatham-Kent that do not have access to dental care.”

The board's report stated this marginalized population often has to choose between paying for rent, utilities or groceries, and dental care.

Bendo said lack of oral health care can have a ripple effect on a person's life and well-being.

“It impacts their opportunities for employment. It impacts their ability to eat well,” she said.

Chatham-Kent will make a resolution to the Association of Local Public Health Agencies to ask the province to expand the service.

According to the Canadian Academy of Health Services, one person in five does not visit a dental care provider due to cost.

The report stated that when people can't afford oral care, they will typically visit their family doctor or the emergency room to receive antibiotics or pain medication that doesn't address the root cause of the problem.

In Ontario, there were more than 60,000 visits to emergency rooms specifically for oral health problems last year, resulting in an approximate cost of $31 million.

The province pledged to expand oral health services starting in 2025, but the report stated this was too long a wait for low-income individuals.